Former footballer and manager, Alex McLeish, has supported a campaign led by Labour MSP Michael Marra to have heading a football classed as an industrial injury. If successful, the campaign would see retired players receive compensation to help with living costs. The campaign comes after research commissioned by the Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association found that former players are nearly three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer from dementia than the general population. Similar research was undertaken by experts at Glasgow University in 2019.
McLeish, who won 12 major honours with Aberdeen including the 1983 European Cup Winners Cup, believes the campaign is appropriate, as he has seen “good people” suffer with brain illnesses as a result of their footballing careers. He is confident that this campaign will be successful. In 2020, the Scottish Football Association implemented a ban on under-12s heading the ball in training, and professional footballers in Scotland were last year banned from heading the ball in training the day before and the day after a game due to the Glasgow University study.
The campaign also echoes concerns raised about head injuries in rugby. McLeish hopes that this campaign will ultimately result in retired footballers not experiencing brain illnesses in silence. The Scottish Government has stated that Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits continue to be delivered by the UK government, who decide which conditions are prescribed for the benefit’s purposes. The government plans to consult on these benefits in the coming months.
McLeish has headed the ball numerous times throughout his career, which spans 64 years on Earth. He states that he is forgiving of himself if he forgets a thing or two, but realises that there is a risk of him developing early onset dementia. McLeishsaying, “I did head the ball quite a lot”. The daughter of former Scotland football manager, Ally MacLeod, recently called for a complete ban on heading the ball due to fears it may lead to dementia
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